Femtocell access point devices are radio access point devices that are deployed at subscriber sites in order to improve coverage of mobile wireless communication service (e.g., cell phone, wireless messaging, etc.) and thereby offload the burden on the infrastructure of the mobile service provider. Femtocell access points are essentially cellular transceiver towers. Like cell towers, femtocell access points operate in a licensed spectrum that is subject to strict regulatory constraints on service providers.
When a femtocell device is activated for operation, it connects, via the Internet, to a gateway device in order to provide the service. A femtocell device is registered and enabled for service after it is authenticated based on identifier and other data associated with the femtocell device. Once authenticated and enabled for service, the femtocell device maintains a persistent connection to the gateway over which all cellular and voice traffic is channeled.
Femtocell devices are relatively low cost devices and are mass-produced with little or no hardware-based security, again for cost reasons. As a result, copies can be made of identifier data stored in an authorized femtocell device for a subscribed customer, and the copied data can then be written into another femtocell device, thereby creating what is called a clone femtocell device that contains an identifier of the authorized device. A clone device is a perfect replica of the original device and is normally indistinguishable from the original device without deploying special techniques. An undetected clone femtocell device can then operate in the wireless network under the subscription of the subscribed customer. Without suitable intelligence provided to detect a clone device, the presence of a clone device remains unknown to the wireless network service provider and the service provider suffers financial and network capacity losses due to unauthorized use of its licensed spectrum.